Sealer



May 24, 1949. Rwm, JR

S EALER Filed Aug. 15, 1945 Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALER Frank N. Irwin, J12, South Miami, Fla.

application August 13, 1945, Serial No. 610,542

3 Claims. 1

This invention pertains to a sealer and is an improvement upon the sealer illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 590,486, filed April 26, 1945, and issued October 26, 1948 as Patent No. 2,452,126, in that the present improved arrangement broadens the field oi use of the sealer.

Today it has become quite a wide and universal practice to dispense and sell many different commodities in wax or cellophane wrappers or pacl ages. The use of such wrappers or packages is extremely wide in respect to food products but is not limited to this particular class of commodities.

The referred to copending application discloses and illustrates a sealer which was primarily designed to reseal the wrappers for bread. The present device is constructed and arranged to be used for the same purpose but also for sealing or rescaling a much broader variety and type of wrapper or bag.

It has been found that large losses have been due to the wrappers or bags becoming unsealed or in not having been adequately sealed when commodities were first placed in them. Many of these commodities are delivered to the retailer and when the wrapper or bag becomes unsealed no provision has been made to enable the deliveryman to reseal the broken or open container. The

present invention provides an arrangement which can be installed on the delivery wagon or truck so as to enable the rescaling of the containers. The device however is not limited to this use as it can be used in the original sealing or closing of the containers. It is admirably suited for use in a store or factory for the heat sealing of wrappers or containers.

Speed and simplicity of operation of the device are essential features in respect to the use of the device by deliverymen as otherwise they would not take either the time or trouble to reseal the broken wrappers. These attributes are present in the device comprising this invention.

Simplicity and cheapness of manufacture are also essential in that in respect to delivery men a sealer must be provided for each delivery truck and oftentimes there are many such trucks making up the fleet of delivery conveyances of the producer of the different particular commodities.

Other essential and improved features and benefits of the invention will appear from a reading of the following description in the light of the accompanying drawings wherein one form in which the inventive concept may be embodied is illustrated.

" heat. Containers which are closed in this manner are ordinarily but not necessarily composed of wax or cellophane, such for instance as the waxed wrappers for bread or the box or cellophane wrappers commonly used for peanuts and candy.

Referring to the drawings and describing the invention by the use of like reference characters and numerals to designate similar parts, A designates a rectangular or other suitably shaped and preferably solid block of hard wood or similar material which is given a stain, varnish or other suitable and desirable finish. When the sealer is to be installed in a delivery vehicle one end 3 of the block is provided with a bracket I by which the block can be quickly yet rigidly connected in any convenient location within the delivery vehicle as for instance by attachment to a part 2 of the vehicle.

Adjacent one of its ends the upper face of the block is hollowed out to receive a metallic box B. The opening in the block is made of the proper size to snugly receive the box and of the proper depth so as to position the top 8 of the box flush with the top 5 of the block. For convenience in replacing the boX should the heating element thereof for any reason fail, the box is provided with ears l' through which pass screws 8 or the like into the upper face 5 of the block.

As space within the delivery vehicle is at a premium and for the further reason that the sealer should not be in the way of the deliveryman the size of the sealer is kept down as much as possible. Accordingly it has been found that a block approximately 8 inches in length, 4 inches in width and 2 inches in depth is adequate. Size however is not of the essence of the invention and the block and the heated sealing portion thereof would be made adequate in size to accommodate the particular containers to be sealed. Ordinarily the top 8 of the metallic box, which is the heating plate as will appear later, will be sufiiciently large if it is approximately three inches square.

Although the element B is referred to as a box it is not completely closed as can be seen by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings. At two of its opposite sides the box is open and the bottom of the box is open with the exception of the narrow inturned lower edges forming transversely extending oppositely positioned shelf-like members II. A sheet of asbestos or other suitable insulating material It rests upon the shelf-like members ll and is of the proper size to completely close the lower end of the box.

Intermediate the box top 8 and the asbestos sheet there is a mica sheet l2 around which is wrapped bare wires which are designated at the top of the sheet as it and at the under side as I5. The current supply for the heater made up of the mica sheet and the bare wires is, when the sealer is in a delivery vehicle, preferably although not necessarily the conventional battery found in the motor vehicle. Connection with the battery is made through the conductors l8 and [9. When the sealer is used in a store or factory any suitable source of electric supply can be used.

Between the box top 8 and the bare wires [4 a second mica plate i3 is provided and will prevent any possibility of a short circuit occurring between these wires and the box top. Mica is a poor electrical conductor but at the same time a good heat conductor and consequently the disc'or plate i 2% will not offer any obstruction to the passage of heat to the top l of the box which constitutes the heat sealing plate of the device.

A more detailed description of the exact construction of the heating element can be had by reference to the aforementioned copending application Serial No. 590,486.

The box B and particularly its top 8 should be composed of very thin metal so that it will heat quickly and thus hold to a minimum the drain on the source of electric current supply and will at the same time heat quickly when the electric circuit is closed. It is not intended nor is it necessary that the box top 8 become red hot.

In the use of the device it is desirable and advantageous to leave the hands of the operator free to perform the sealing operation. Accordingly it is desirable to provide a foot or knee operated switch in the electrical supply line I8, i9. Such a switch is not illustrated as it does not form an essential part of the present invention. The manner of inserting or providing such a switch can be ascertained by reference to my before-referred to copending application.

The structure thus far described is identical to that illustrated and described in my referred to copending application and is admirably suited for use in sealing or resealing bread wrappers or for such other uses as it may be found the device is suitable to fulfill.

The improvement of the present device resides in the provision of a presser C which is movably mounted so that it may be quickly and conveniently brought into use or can be positioned to be out or the way when it is desired to seal or reseal bread wrappers or other containers where the use of the presser is neither necessary nor required.

The presser comprises an element preferably but not necessarily made of wood which has a fiat bottom which is of the same configuration as the heating and sealing plate a and preferably, although not necessarily, of slightly smaller over- .4 all dimension. The bottom of the presser is covered with an asbestos sheet 26 or the like which is removably secured thereto by screws 2! or similar means. At its top the presser is shaped to provide a hand or finger hold 28.

At one of its sides 4 the presser block is provided with a bracket the end legs of which are suitably secured to the block as at 2| while the connecting leg is in the form of an elongated rod 20' which is disposed in separated parallel relationship to the face of the block wall l. The presser is connected to the elongated rod 20 by a pair of arms each of which comprises a portion 22 having one end connected to the presser at one side thereof and adjacent its bottom while the other ends of the arms are bent to form angularly extending portions 23 which terminate in eyes 24 which loosely surround the rod 20.

The construction described permits the presser to be swung about the rod 20 as a pivotal point sethat the presser may assume the position illustrated in Fig. l or the position illustrated in Fig; 2 of the drawings. The length of the arms which constitute the bracket-like structure which interconnects the presser to the rod 20 and the angularity of the portions 23 thereof is such that the presser can be made to assume the position illustrated-in Fig. 2 wherein the bottom of the presser restsflatly upon the sealing plate 8. Additionally it will be obvious that with the presser in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 the presser can he slid longitudinally of the block A so that it will rest upon the end portion. I! thereof at one side and beyond the sealing plate.

The manner of. operation is as follows. To seal or'reseal the end 29 of a bag or container D the bagis placed on the sealing plate A as illustrated in Fig. 2 and thepresser C is swung over and down upon the-unsealed end of the bag. The current is suitably turned on causing the heating of the sealing plate and within a few seconds has become hot enough'to seal the open end of the bag. The presser can be made sufiiciently heavy to cause the properadherence of the bag ends or if need be pressure can be exerted manually on the block through the handle or finger portion 28 thereof. The asbestos covering, or covering of like nature, upon the bottom of the presser will well withstand without charring or disintegrating the heat to which it is subjected and of course protects the bottom of the presser which is particularly necessary when this device is made of wood. When thebag or container has remained upon the sealing plate suficiently long so that its open end or side is sealed the operator grasps the extending end of the bag with one hand and the presser with the other and slides the two along together until they are over the unheated end portion ll of the block A. The parts are left in this position until the bag is sufliciently cooled. It has been'found that the parts slide freely and the heated slightly roughened surface of the asbestos tends-to and assists in holding the bag in position as the bag and presser are moved off of the sealing plate.

From the foregoing-it will be seen that a simple and therefore cheap to build sealer is provided which isefiicient in operation and capable of sealing or resealing a wide variety of wrappers, bags or containers.

Specific departure from the illustrated and described structure can :be made without departing from the inventive-concept and the invention is accordingly tobe limited only by the scope of the hereinfollowing and appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device for sealing bags, wrappers or the like by the application of heat and pressure to their open portions, a block having on its upper face a heated plate portion and an unheated por tion adjacent thereto, a presser, a rod secured to a side wall of the block and extending along the heated and unheated portions of the block, arms pivotally securing the presser to the rod whereby said presser can be swung from a position at one side of and beyond said block into a position to engage the upper face thereof, said arms engaging the side wall of the block and limitin the movement of the presser in its rotary travel away from the upper face of the block and said block pivotal securing arms having sliding engagement with the rod whereby the presser can be moved longitudinally of the block while the presser is in either of the defined positions.

2. In a device for sealing bags, wrappers or the like by the application of heat and pressure to their open portions, a block having on its upper face a heated plate portion and an unheated portion adjacent thereto, a presser, a rod secured to a side wall of the block and extending along the heated and unheated portions of the block, a pair of arms secured to the presser and provided with eyes in their free ends, and said eyes loosely surrounding the rod, whereby the presser can be swung about the longitudinal axis of the rod or moved longitudinally of the rod, for the purpose described.

3. In a device for sealing bags, wrappers or the like by the application of heat and pressure to their open portions, a block having on its upper face a heated plate portion and an unheated portion adjacent thereto, a presser, a rod secured to a side wall of the block and extendin along the heated and unheated portions of the block, a pair of arms secured to one side of the presser, said arms adjacent their free ends being bent at substantially right angles and terminating in eyes, said eyes loosely surrounding the rod to provide a pivotal connection therewith and to also permit the arms to be moved longitudinally of the rod, the pivotal connection of the presser with the block permitting the presser to be swung from a position at one side of the block toward and into engagement with the upper face of the block, and the end portions of the arms which are at right angles to the remaining portions of the arms engaging the side wall of the block and limiting the movement of the presser in its rotary travel away from the block.

FRANK N. IRWIN, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,321,649 Lightfoot Nov. 11, 1919 1,940,561 Moore Dec. 19, 1933 2,115,941 Castricone May 3, 1938 

